New lease of life for historic Folk Hall

The historic Folk Hall in New Earswick has recently undergone a £250,000 refurbishment carried out by the small works division of York-based building restoration specialists William Anelay Ltd.

The grade 1 Listed building (and grade 2 in parts), based on Haxby Road, is an important community hub that opened its doors in 1907 as part of the Rowntree familys model village. The hall, extended in 1935, is still owned by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and serves as a facility for many local community groups and organisations.

The scope of works, carried out by William Anelay Ltd since the start of February 2014, included a lot of internal redecoration, external rendering and roof repairs, extensive electrical work and refurbishment of the main hall and community café areas.

Site Manager Ollie Hughes explained: There were a number of elements to the work we carried out at the Folk Hall with new electrics being one of the most urgent considerations.

All of the work was carried out whilst the building was in use making it a complex refurbishment project at times but the end result is a revived community resource that will benefit everyone in New Earswick, added Ollie.

Funding for the project came from Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

William Anelay Ltd, founded in 1747, is one of the oldest construction companies in the world and currently employs over 100 staff with a turnover of £30 million. The company collected 22 national and regional construction and restoration awards in 2013.

For more details visit  www.williamanelay.co.uk